Multisectoral grassroots organizations and peoples’ movements call for tax justice in the Philippines and in Asia region in a rally in front of the Philippine Senate on November 22, 2023.

The protest is part of the Asia Days of Action for Tax Justice, a coordinated set of actions by civil society organizations in Asia.
Civil society organizations present at the mobilization included SANLAKAS, Aniban ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (AMA), Oriang, Kilusan para sa Kabuhayan, Kalusugan, Kalikasan at Katiyakan sa Paninirahan (K4K), Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng mga Maralita sa Lungsod (KPML), Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), and the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD).

The groups held their program at the Senate to “call solons’ attention to the surprise decision of the Department of Finance on November 8, 2023 to sign on to the OECD/G20’s Base Erosion and Profit-Shifting (BEPS) Framework.”

The groups also called on Senators to “remove all confidential funds in the 2024 National Budget, and to divert all confidential funds allotted in the current draft into basic public services such as healthcare and education.”

In a press statement, the participating groups said they are opposed to the decision of the Department of Finance to join the Base Erosion and Profit-Shifting (BEPS) Framework of the OECD, “a reform agenda for the international tax architecture ostensibly meant to curb illicit financial flows (IFFs)”. They said they have previously decried the BEPS Framework as a “Tax Deal of the Rich” and an “illegitimate, wealthy country-led process premised on a Two-Pillar Solution that excludes the interests and concerns of developing countries like the Philippines.” (Photos: John Louie Abrina)